Lacrosse

DU Pioneers freshman Zach Miller good enough to make lacrosse history

Zach Miller, at a recent DU practice, is the first American Indian to play for Bill Tierney, who has been a highly successful coach for 29 years. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

University of Denver lacrosse coach Bill Tierney is in his 29th year of coaching and fifth with the Pioneers. Six of his Princeton teams won NCAA championships. He has taken DU to the Final Four three times.

His proudest moment as a coach? That's yet to happen, but he envisions it to be the day Zach Miller graduates. Miller, a standout freshman attackman, is the first American Indian to play for Tierney, and likely his next All-American.

"We want the story to end June 2, 2017 — on his graduation day," Tierney said of Miller, who grew up on a reservation in Steamburg, N.Y. "If this story ends right, it's going to be the best story of my career."

Miller, 19, is from the Seneca Nation of New York, a founding member of the Iroquois League that also includes the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida and Cayuga tribes. He grew up on the Allegany Reservation, the oldest of Dawn Colburn's five children.

"I could not be more proud of Zach. He goes after his dream with his whole heart. He's been like that since a little child," his mother said. "He's such an inspiration to me and everyone around him."

Zach was born in 1995 while Dawn was a sophomore at Cornell University. She is the longtime director of mental health for Cattaraugus County, which encom-passes the reservation.

"Our dropout rate in high school is astronomical compared to other populations in the school," Dawn said. "We have a lot of issues here in the reservation. A lot of the kids are lost in terms of their identity, although recent statistics indicate graduation rates are increasing. Zach is definitely setting a wonderful precedent."

As good as Miller's back story is, Tierney wouldn't have recruited him if he couldn't play. Believe it, the kid can play. Miller had five goals and two assists in a recent 9-5 victory over Ohio State. He leads the fifth-ranked Pioneers in goals (20), points (28) and shooting percentage (.645).

"He's a special lacrosse player, forgetting his uniqueness as a person, uniqueness of his home life," Tierney said.

Key sport on the "res"

Lacrosse originated in the 17th century. It's a sport first played by Indians in what is now Canada, and Miller grew up learning the Canadian game. The "box" game, dubbed "indoor" in America, is played inside a gymnasium or on a hockey rink. Miller played that since age 3 on the reservation, then began playing field lacrosse in high school at The Hill Academy in Vaughn, Ontario.

"At home on the 'res,' lacrosse is the sport to play," Miller said. "We have an outdoor box and also an arena, so in any type of weather, you're always hanging around there, shooting around with buddies."

Zach's father, Chris Miller, played the game through high school before joining the Marines and coached Zach through the eighth grade. Virtually all the tribe members of the Allegany Reservation grew up playing lacrosse.

"Lacrosse is the creator's game," Zach said. "He invented it for medicine, for people who play and watch the game. We play with a clear mind and to entertain him, because he's always watching."

In order for Miller to reach his potential, his family raised more than $120,000 for Zach to attend The Hill Academy. Quarterly annuity checks from seven people — Miller, his parents and four younger siblings — amounted to about $9,000 and were devoted to Miller's education for four years.

"Our tribe started a casino, our third casino, to bring in revenue, and an annuity check is given to each member," his mother said. "It was the only way we could send him to private school, and without those annuity checks, Zach would not be where he's at."

Miller stood out at The Hill Academy, and most major college lacrosse programs showed interest. Miller had ties to Denver as former Hill Academy teammate Jeremy Noble is a standout senior midfielder. Pioneers associate head coach Matt Brown has successfully recruited Canada for seven years. Miller was drawn to Brown, who grew up in Canada with the box game, and to the outdoor life of Colorado.

"I like Denver, the city, the mountains, and it's a great group of guys. Never a dull moment with them," he said.

Fearless off the field too

Zach once asked his mother if he could go hunting. She said yes, thinking he would chase rabbits or other small game. Zach came back with a black bear.

"He's always been fearless," she said.

She wishes Zach were living closer to home but is supportive of his decision to move across the continent.

"All we can do is encourage him to focus on his dreams. This is what he wanted to do all his life," she said. "I couldn't put him in better hands than Bill Tierney and Matt Brown. I know they love my boy and have his best interests in mind, and I'll never forget what Bill told me when we committed. He said, 'I've never been more excited to coach a young man, other than my own son.' I know it's from his heart and it's genuine. It gives me huge comfort to let him go."

Tierney is seeing more Indians play at major Division I lacrosse programs.

"It's a culture that plays lacrosse like inner-city kids play basketball, but for whatever reason, lately more seem to be using their skill set to go to college," he said. "It's starting to take on a life of its own. It's giving these kids an opportunity to go to college and enhance their education."

Which is why Tierney is so excited to see Miller succeed and hoping to see him graduate. He wants to contribute to more Indians playing elite-level lacrosse.

"There are opportunities for the kids, because there are scholarships available (for Indians), but he is an inspiration to many kids and adults in this community," his mother said. "From the time he put that stick in his hands at 3 years old, it was just a passion. He's never let go."

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